New Mushroom Men Details
by Chris Reaper at Oct 23, 2008 6:30pm
The Spore Wars Boss Fights
When it came to the boss fights in Mushroom Men, Red Fly wanted to make them truly interesting. With that in mind, here are some of the elements that help to make the boss encounters memorable.
Bosses as Mechanic Reinforcement
Several of the bosses and mini-bosses reinforce a specific mechanic, such as the Telekinesis-Throw (whereby Pax uses his Telekinesis ability on an object and tosses it back at the enemy). Players have the option to use this ability during the game to get the upper hand on an opponent, or could let Player 2 perform this to help them out in the midst of battle, but it is never enforced (didn’t want to force the player if they didn’t want to). However, Red Fly used the bosses as a chance to make a puzzle and encourage players to use different Spore Powers. Several of the bosses require this Telekinesis-Throw attack to beat. One of the mini-bosses actually acts as a tutorial for the Spore Punisher maneuver, flying out of the player’s reach until they can successfully execute it.
Boss as Action/Puzzle
Red Fly created action/puzzle battles with some stand-alone boss encounters. For example, the player will need to use the environment components and specific game mechanics to take out bosses they can’t reach directly or might just be too strong. This frames these specific boss fights as puzzles to be solved, not simply a skill exercise (although there is some of that, too!).
Bosses as the Level
In the Parking Lot, the player will face not one but FIVE bosses. The entire area is centered on these encounters and each of the bosses use their environment in interesting and unique ways closely tied to them.
DS Weapon Feature Part II
In order to survive in the world of Mushroom Men, players must concoct grand scale weapons out of mere knickknacks. The arsenal is entirely based on how creative players can get. But modifying flimsy weapons such as sticks, batteries and nails into deadly creations is only a fraction of the arsenal at the player’s disposal. The most valuable armaments will be fusions between multiple weapons already in possession. As a result of the wide range of weapons that can be created in Mushroom Men, players must choose one of three classes which will determine which weapon types they will specialize in, based on their class’ fighting style.
There are three main classes in Mushroom Men: Sage, Scout, and Heavy. Sage specializes in Spore powers. Spore powers are magical skills that give wielders the power to move inanimate objects and attack enemies, among other abilities. However, Sages are very weak at hand-to-hand and ranged combat, leaving them almost completely dependent on their powerful but limited magical abilities. Scouts are expert ranged attackers. However, their agility and attack accuracy only benefit them at a distance from enemies. Once in close range, Scouts are quickly overwhelmed by moderate to large numbers of attackers. The Heavy class excels in melee combat, relying on their brute strength to quickly overtake opponents in tight-quarter battles. Unfortunately, their brawn also makes them very slow fighter, making them easy prey for large groups of well-equipped opponents.
Weapon Name: Screw Spike
Ideal Class: Scout
Composition: wood screw, bead
Weapon Name: Barbed Club
Ideal Class: Heavy
Composition: club, barbed wire
Weapon Name: Amplified Spark Scraper
Ideal Class: Heavy
Composition: spark scraper, capacitor
Weapon Name: Circular Saw
Ideal Class: Scout
Composition: Rubber belt, Disc Spiker
Weapon Name: Slicer
Ideal Class: Heavy
Composition: Bevel Gear, Axe
Weapon Name: Air Gun
Ideal Class: Scout
Composition: valve, canister club
Weapon Name: Acid Bomb
Ideal Class: Sage
Composition: Vinegar Bomb, Baking Soda
